This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of one of the last, seminal works of the Golden Age of Science Fiction: Robert A Heinlein’s 1966 Hugo Award-winning masterpiece. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is an account of the Lunar Colony revolt against Terran overlords. As in much of Heinlein’s work, the science in this novel is a portal for debate about society and man’s place in it, his ethical responsibilities as a citizen and whether a perfect society can be created from human imperfection.

As our open submissions pile dwindles, we find ourselves reflecting on the good, the great… and the things we saw a lot of. Today we’re going to present a few writing tips and suggestions to give aspiring writers something to chew on as they work on their projects.

Whenever I go on holiday, I like to take along complementary reading material. Usually (because I’m a terrible packer) 800 page long complementary reading material. While I enjoy reading about foreign countries, I particularly enjoy it if said countries feature dragons, talking animals and/or some form of apocalypse. So (with your help on Twitter) I’ve compiled a list of science fiction and fantasy novels set in different countries around the world.

Though perhaps overshadowed by Skyrim and the Elder Scrolls series, Dragon Age is pretty enthralling in its own right. There are shocks aplenty, morally grey characters, decision-making that actually affects the world you’re playing in, and one scene I will not forget until I die (clue: Frankenstein’s monster). At present, my partner and I are playing our way through Dragon Age: Inquisition, so we have not yet unlocked all of the mysteries of Ferelden and Orlais, but nonetheless here are my favourite characters that I’ve run into so far

It’s hard to believe that the usually-stellar Buffy the Vampire Slayer experienced a duff episode, but let me tell you: look hard enough, and there be monsters (and not just the fanged-type). I’ve put together my own bottom 5, and unfairly many of these fall within the boundaries of the fourth season, which does have some brilliant episodes of its own, but is generally considered to be the weakest.